The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-04-01

tude 80 degs. And -' A
yet it has perceptihle effect on the air;
for the mercury always rises or 10 degs.
by 2 p m., and even before sunrise there is
a change, as the registering thermometer of
the signal office marked 81 degs. below, as
the coldest during the last night of 'S6,
while at sunrise it stood at "a degs.
1t makes one shiyer to hear the old soldiers
tell of Gen. Miles winter campaign. For
weeks together his men marched, secuted and
fought where the mercury never rose to 10
degrees above zero. More than once they
broke trails up mountain guch where the
snow was from two to ten feet deep, each
man taking the lead by turns for few min
utes at time. 1t was severe enough Oil the
soldiers, but it was destruction to the Indians,
as it is impossible for them to move fast in
winter. They are thinly clad at the best,
and their custom is to lie close in their
"teepees" during the coldest weather; and at
such times they are almost as stupid as hiber-
mating animals. Their ponies are also poor
and unshod The soldiers on the other hand
are warmly clad and we'll fed ans. their horses
have some grain so they can penetrate to the
very doors of the 'teepaes" in tolerably fair
fighting condition.
There has been no fighting il Dakota for
several years. but there are occasional jour
neys Of great hardship III the terrible winter
of 1679-80 Lieut. Fl. Ligsett, with company
K of the Fifth United States, made tue
march from Bismarck over to the Yellow
stone valley and return, taking supies to a
post Every right, whe, tlia tents were
erected, be took his stand at the door and ap-
11fsat snow 10 es cry ,lsssaa'e fsaeu
fore allowing Kim to go near the fire. The
men were all ''rustlerS and picked for t-s
business, yet they could not keep ears and
noses from getting frosted in a days ride
After getting into quarters once more the
skin peeled off most of their faces, but
no serious harm resulted. The striking
fact is that ear or nose often freezes so
suddenly that one does not know it: he is noi
conscious of painful cold for more than
minute, espe tally il there is no wind. When
freltl., ride ont together on cold and calm
day it is tue polite thing for each to watch
the others nose and clap on bunch of snow
at the fi,sr sign of freezing. And after ride,
OH entering house, you will occasionally be
surprised by a polite request from the host
for you to stop in the hall and rot 20 near
the fire till he can rub the frost out Of your
nose! @
The northern Indians have a system by
which they can restore man frozen almost
solid, if there is still good circulation in his
vital organs They first put him i'll a ''teepee"
without fire and but little warmer than lie
outer air, and rub his frozen members with
snow, then with fur and then with ls,re
hands till circulation is extended lf'ln
Next he is taken into slightly warmer i, :.
and the extremities kept cool with snow Till
he gains little more, and lastly his frozen
members are immersed in cold water while
the sound part of him is warmed and clleered
with food and drink. The philosophy of it is
that the thawing must be brought on by the
natural circulation, from within outwarlly;
and then the blood gets into each section RS
fast as it is restored. But If the f-lrfa,.e
thaws first, from external heat, the rircuia-
tion cannot reach it at once; and in sur.
prisingly short time it is dead flesh. Many a
man lost leg, arm, ear or nose in the early
days of ignorance who would now be re-
stored sound and whole by the Indian
method.
The coteaux of Dakota are certainly a Gu
riosity in geology. Going west from this